Housing scheme accused of carrying out illegal construction near Soan River.

ISLAMABAD -- A private housing society has been accused of carrying out illegal construction on the 'right-of-way' of Soan River and on park land.

According to Capital Development Authority's documents, a major housing society, in violation of its approved layout plan, has been making high-rise commercial buildings on the right-of-way of Soan River.

They said as per the approved layout plan, the place where plazas were being constructed was meant for a park and was the right-of-way of Soan River.

Sources in the authority's Enforcement Wing told Dawn that recently, the Planning Wing wrote a letter to it seeking action to stop unauthorised construction, fearing urban flooding, 'especially in the context of flooding in E-11 in 2021 and floods in tourist sites Bahrain and Kalam last year'.

Officials said that they received a letter, which pointed out that in compliance of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) directive, a team of CDA visited the said society earlier this month and pointed out around 20 commercial building stands constructed and about five commercial buildings were under construction on land earmarked for bed of the river and linear park, in violation of the layout plan of the said society approved in 2010 by CDA.

CDA officials also showed the approved layout plan in which the area in question was reserved for park and right of way of the river, but now many plazas have been constructed there and several are under construction.

They said that google image of the site is also self-explanatory.

The...